Microsoft and Novell?

[john_whitfield at email.com (John Whitfield)]

Hullo,

Steven Vaughan-Nichols has a piece on it in Linux Watch 
(http://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS9843352777.html).  In a nutshell,
Microsoft and Novell agreed to not sue each other over patents on a 
range of technology (including SUSE Linux) for five years.  It also 
includes some cross development agreements that looks like it should 
give SUSE Linux a leg up on Microsoft interoperability relative to 
other forms of Linux.

Pamela Jones on Groklaw (http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20061102175508403) 
is calling it a sell-out.  The deal only extends to individual users 
of SUSE Linux.  It doesn't apply to other forms of Linux or to business 
users.

IMHO, it's a Bad Idea.  It supports the idea of software patents as 
being worthwhile and only helps out Novell for a limited time.  Making 
business deals with Microsoft is like mating Black Widow spiders.  The 
male finds it fun for a while, but -- sooner or later -- its going to 
be eaten.

John Whitfield


> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Kent Borg" <kentborg at borg.org>
> To: discuss at blu.org
> Subject: Microsoft and Novell?
> Date: Fri, 3 Nov 2006 09:16:16 -0500
> 
> 
> So there is all this news about Microsoft and Novell announcing some
> deal to work together.  Can anyone say anything about the substance?
> Or, is it vague, that they will come up with something once they
> figure out what that is?
> 
> What might this mean for Suse?  And, can Novell be trusted to stay
> open source?
> 
> 
> -kb
> 
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